Sinker-top for hosiery-knitting machines



(No Model.)

H. H. SKEVINGTON 8v W. L. WHITHHEAD. 'SINKHR TOP FOR HOSIERY KNITTING MACHINES. No. 606,094. Pantelilted June 21,1898.

ICIF Rn s 51ans co. moToLlTHQ/wAsnmoToN n c Nrrny @rares Arent trich- HENRY H. SKEVINGTON AND WILLIAM L. WI-IITEHEAD, OF PHILADELPHIA,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

SlNKER-TOP FOR HOSI'EllY-KNITTINGl MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,094, dated J' une 21, 1898. Application filed J'uly 19, 1897. Serial-No. 645,193. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HENRY H. SKEVING- 'roN and WILLIAM L. WHITEHEAD, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sinker-Topsfor Hosiery-Knitting Machines, of which the following is' a speciication.

Our improvements have for their object, first, to permit of positive movement of the individual spring-actuated sinkers; secondly, .to so arrange the latterl that access may be had to the needles located between them without disturbing any of the individual sinkers, and, thirdly, to prevent the sinkers from Inoving in an upward direction.

Our improvements consist of a sinker-top held within a needle-cylinder, individual sinkers located between the needles and movable outwardly of the sinker-top, said sinkers supported on an annular liange of the sinker-top and provided with notches, which allow only of a certain outward movement of the top ends of. the sinkers, a recess in the sinkers, and a corresponding annular recess in the sinker-top for a spiral spring to hold the said sinkers under tension and toward the center ofV the sinker-top.

The improvements further consist of the arrangement of the needles outside of the sinker-retaining spring by which any or all needles may be removed without' disturbing the sinker or sinker-top; and our invention further consists of the improvements hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Ourinvention will be more fully understood when ytaken in connection with the drawings, in which Figure l is a top view of half a sinker-top, showing the sinkers and needles in position; and Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the sinker-top, indicating in dotted lines the needles and needle and cam cylinders Referring now to the drawings for a further description of our invention, A is the sinker-top, supported on the adjustable ring b of the needle-cylinder B.

c are the needles, held by jacks c', operated and guided in any suitable manner.

CZ is the cam-cylinder for operating the needles c, and d is a cover for the needle-operating parts.

The sinken-top A is slotted at its u pper diametrically-extended part Ato receive the sinkers a, which latter have the usual form of top end a', 'with notch a2. Below the top end c is provided a notch c3 to receive a coiled annular spring a4 to maintain the sinkers a in normal position, and in the outside of the'sinker-top A is provided the annular groove coto contain the said spring @4in such a manner that when any of the sinkers move outwardly to admit a loop over the needles c the latter are not disturbed or moved by such movement of the sinkers. Below the slot o3 of the sinkers a is another1 slot or notch d5 to permit a similar coiled annular spring c2 to hold the needles c in proper position and against the outer face ofthe diametrically-'-' extended part A of the sinker-top A. These needles c are located between each two sinkers a, as shown in Fig. l, and are held and guided by the jacks c', as before stated.`v

' Below the diametrically-extended part A of the sinker-top A is cut a groove a, forming two annular shoulders al and as, for a purpose to be explained. The sinkers o. are 'further provided with an offset portion a9,

which bears with its upperedge against theshoulder a7, Fig. 2, to prevent an upward movement of the said sinkers a. Against the shoulder d8 is fitted and held an annular flange am, having an annular ridge a, on which the individual sinkers are supported 4and allowed to rock. In the lower end of the sinkers CL are provided wedge-shaped slots an, itting over the ridge all and permitting the top end of each sinker a to move outwardly only a certain distance, for the purpose that if a stitch is drawn by a needle c the sinkera is permitted to let the loop of such stitch pass the upper ends of the sinker, no matter how thick the yarn or thread is for the goods to be produced or whether irregular yarn is fed by the thread-guides g or gf. Itis of importance and itis our principal feature that the sinkers should be yielding to a certain extent only to allow yarn possessed with lumps to be worked just the same as the best yarn of uniform thickness now manufactured and roe without cutting irregular yarn or yarn of a poor quality, and, further, the sinkers a, should have no more outward movement than necessary to allow the yarn to pass portion a of the sinkers, so as to avoid the thread-guides g or g', which must be arranged in close proximity to the sinkers and needles, as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art to which our invention pertains.

To remove one or more sinkers a, the top A is removed from the cylinder B and the annular flange am loosened and moved downward, after which any or all sinkers may be removed.

I-Iaving thus described the nature and objects of our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a knitting-machine the combination with a needle-cylinder and sinker-top of sinkers, an annular flange on the said top, awedgeshaped notch in the bottom of each sinker fitting over the said flange, and allowing the top end of the sinker to move a certain dis tance outwardly, and means for holding the upper ends of the sinkers toward the center of the needle-cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a knittingnnachine the combination with a needle-cylinder and sinker-top, of sinkers, an annular flange on the said top, a groove in the lower end of each sinker to fit over the said flange and allowing the top end of the sinker to move a certain distance outwardly, a shoulder on said sinker-top, a projection on each sinker abutting said shoulder to prevent the sinker from moving upwardly and means for holding the upper ends of the sinkers toward the center of the needle-cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a needle-cylinder and sinker-top, of sinkers, an annular flange on the said top, a groove in the lower end of each sinker to fit over the said flange and allowing the top end of the sinker to move a certain distance outwardly, a shoulder on said sinker-top, a projection on each sinker abutting said shoulder to prevent the sinkers from moving upwardly an annular groove in the sinker-top, a groove or notch in each ofthe sinkers corresponding with the said groove ol the top and a coiled annular spring located in said groove substantiall y as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a needle-cylinder and sinker-top, of a diametrically-extended portion at the top of the sinker-top, slots in said extended portion, sinkers located in said slots, an annular flange removably held against a shoulder of.' the sinker-top, a groove in the lower end of each sinker, to it over the said flange, and allowing the top end of the sinker to move a certain distance outwardly, a shoulder on said sinker-top, a projection on each sinker abutting said shoulder to prevent the sinkers from moving upwardly, an annular groove in the sinker-top, a notch in each of the sinkers corresponding with the said groove of the top, and a coiled annular spring located in said groove, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination with needles, a needle-cylinder and means for operating the said needles, of a sinkertop mounted inside the needle-cylinder and having an extended portion at the top, slots in said portion, sinkers located in said slots, an annular flange on said top for supporting the said sinkers and allowing the top ends of. the sinkers to move a certain distance outwardly and means for normally maintaining the top ends of the sinkers toward the center of the machine, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a needle-cylinder and sinker-top of an extension on said top, slots therein, sinkcrs located in said slots, an annular flange on said top for supporting the said sinkers and allowing the top ends thereof to move a certain distance outwardly, means to prevent the sinkers from moving upwardly and means forvnormally maintaining the top ends of thc sinkers toward the center of the machine, substantially as and for the purposes sct forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY u. sKEvING'roN. WILLIAM L. wnrrnnnAn.

lVitnesses:

HERMANN HORMANN, HARRY J. FRANZ. 

